Back to the drawing board

Monday

May 6, 2013 at 8:06 AM

Terrebonne Parish voters on Saturday resoundingly rejected a proposal to more than quadruple the school system’s property tax.

Terrebonne Parish voters on Saturday resoundingly rejected a proposal to more than quadruple the school system’s property tax.School officials had sought permission to raise the property tax from 9 mills to 40 mills.The voters refused.As those same officials take stock of their financial situation and ponder the future, there are some lessons from this election they should keep in mind.First, there should be evidence of sound planning and tough choices.The School Board seems to have drawn the 40-mill figure from the fact that that’s about the average millage across the state.The thinking seems to have gone from the number to what the system could do with the resulting windfall — an estimated $25 million more each year.Part of the system’s plan included $4,000 across-the-board pay raises for all teachers and $2,000 across-the-board raises for all non-instructional employees.Beyond those definitive numbers, though, the plan was astoundingly short on details.The two-page summary found on the School Board’s website said all schools would be renovated/remodeled on their interiors and exteriors. Clearly, the public demanded more. Some schools might legitimately need structural repairs, while others might need smaller fixes. Those are the sorts of details that must be ironed out and planned before the School Board proposes another tax issue.The board should also tie objective measures of success to any future request for more tax money. If every support worker needs a $2,000-per-year raise, for instance, what educational outcomes can the taxpayers expect to see in return?The hard decisions and leadership should be displayed before another request is made.It is easy for most voters to believe that many of the teachers deserve a significant raise in salary. But does every teacher deserve the exact same amount, particularly at a time when our state is understandably trying to move public schools toward a system that rewards the best teachers?The tax issue was difficult and divisive — more so than it needed to be.The School Board owes it to the public to have a clear plan and a compelling need for all the money it seeks.In this instance, a clear majority of the voters decided they lacked enough information and evidence to grant the request. Now, those same voters, the business community and the school system must cooperate to form a new, better plan.

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